


A Way with Words

by learningthetrees



Category: Slow West (2015)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Romantic Fluff, The most smut I'll ever write
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-27
Updated: 2018-07-27
Packaged: 2019-06-16 23:50:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15448608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/learningthetrees/pseuds/learningthetrees
Summary: Over the past year, Rose had learned that Silas had a way with words. It might not have been apparent to most people, but he could say precisely what needed to be said with such simplicity that it made saying it almost unnecessary.





	A Way with Words

**Author's Note:**

> It's been such a long time since I wrote these two. Enjoy.

The stars were dotted thick in a diamond sky, twinkling down over the sleepy cabin nestled on the plains. The two fair-haired, rosy-cheeked children were tucked into their bed, a quilt drawn up to their chins as their chests rose and fell in a comfortable rhythm.

In the other room, Rose giggled as Silas’s stubble tickled her neck. He pulled away, pressing a finger to his lips and mouthing a silent _Shh_. Rose nodded, acquiescing. One of the children had already climbed out of his bed and into theirs earlier that night, restless and ornery, and it had taken nearly an hour to deliver him back to bed. Waking the children now would be tempting fate.

Silas continued to trace feathery kisses along Rose’s jawline, moving down her neck and tugging on the neckline of her nightgown to reach her collarbone. She bit her lip to keep the giggle down — she was far too ticklish for this.

But even as his ministrations melted her, a familiar face floated into her memory, stopping Rose cold.

“Wait,” she said, breathless. She grasped a handful of Silas’s hair and gently tugged his head away. His eyes were wide as they ranged over her face, surveying her for any signs of discomfort.

“Is everything alright?” he asked. His breathing was heavy, and even in the low light of the oil lamp, Rose could see his pupils were wide with arousal. It was a state she never tired of seeing him in.

“Yes,” she said, readjusting herself under his weight. “Yes, everything’s fine. I just…I need a moment.”

Silas shifted, lying down on his side beside her. He reached out to brush her hair away from her face and then seemed to think better of it — catching himself and instead letting his hand settle down on the pillow between them.

The moment of silence between them was so deep, they could each hear the crickets chirping just outside the cabin. Rose stared up at the rough-hewn ceiling, bidding her thoughts not to escape through her lips.

But they did anyway. “Do you ever think about Jay?” she asked, and as soon as the words were said, she wished she could take them back. What would Silas think — that her mind was on Jay while she was in bed with him?

Silas waited for a moment before answering, and Rose was afraid to look over at him. But then he spoke. “Of course,” he said simply, and the way he said it lifted the weight on Rose’s chest. Over the past year, Rose had learned that Silas had a way with words. It might not have been apparent to most people, but he could say precisely what needed to be said with such simplicity that it made saying it almost unnecessary. _Of course_ he thought about Jay — it comforted Rose to know that she wasn’t the only one.

“Do you miss him?” Rose asked, still staring straight up. She felt Silas move beside her, no doubt settling into a more comfortable position.

“I miss him like I miss a pain in the ass,” he said, and Rose couldn’t help but snicker. Silas was right — Jay had been a true friend, but he could also be quite a nuisance at times. Had anyone else said it, it would have sounded harsh, unfeeling — but not Silas. The way he spoke about Jay, Rose could hear the sense of caring — however fleeting — behind it.

“Sometimes, I think — ” Rose started, and then she bit her tongue.

But Silas wasn’t having it. “What?” His finger trailed lightly over her cheek, and she turned to face him. His eyes were earnest, watching her fiercely.

“I wonder what might have happened if he was still alive,” she said. “If he didn’t try to find me. If I didn’t — ” This time when she stopped herself, Silas didn’t press her to continue.

They were silent for a few moments more, then: “Life would be different.”

Rose knew what he meant by this: They never would have crossed paths. The life they’d created together, between the cabin and the orphans — would never have come to be. Rose’s father might still be alive, and Kotori, too. She might have learned to make butter properly. And Silas — Silas would still be riding, drifting through the West. Alone and unaware of her.

That thought was enough to make Rose shake her head, forcing the images from her mind. It was uncanny how, even in the most pleasurable moment, her imagination could conjure up a thought that managed to destroy it.

Silas chuckled, and Rose turned to look at him. His fingers were laced together, resting on his stomach, and a smirk played at his lips. “Have you ever thought about the irony? That you had to leave Scotland because you were wanted for a murder you didn’t commit, and then you ended up killing the person who did it?”

Rose felt herself go cold, and her voice was choked out in her throat. “Of course I’ve thought of that,” she managed to spit out, before sitting up and swinging her legs over the edge of the bed.

She perched there for a moment, trying to get the feeling to return to her limbs. Just as she thought of Jay every day, she couldn’t help but think about how he’d died — how she’d gunned him down without thinking. How the very person who wanted to help her was the one she turned against in an instant. How things might have turned out so very differently if she’d only held her fire for a moment.

“Oh, Jesus.” She heard Silas groan from behind her. “What an arse I am. Rose?”

She steeled herself and then turned towards him. He was sitting up, his hands once again reaching out for her, but once again not quite making contact. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean — Please, forgive me. I’m an idiot.”

“But you’re right,” she said. “I killed him. I was wanted for murder and I — I killed him.”

Silas moved forward, and very lightly, very carefully, placed his hands on his shoulders, running them down her upper arms. Anyone else might have made excuses for her or told her she was wrong for still feeling so raw nearly a year later, but Silas did none of those things. He only jerked his chin up and down in a subtle nod and said, “I know.”

“Why did he have to do that?” Rose asked, and it was as if the floodgates had opened. Tears were rolling down her cheeks, and the sobs that wracked her body were so strong, she couldn’t even speak. Silas reached out and pulled her towards him, and she let him. She let him wrap his arms around her and hold her head against his bare chest as her sorrow poured out.

They sat like that for quite some time, and even though Rose was sure her crying was loud enough to wake the children two times over, Silas did not try to quiet her. He just stroked her hair lightly, letting the tears flow against his shoulder until Rose was nearly spent.

Then, Silas leaned back and tipped Rose’s chin up so that she was looking at him. He wiped off her wet cheeks with the pad of his thumb and then ran his hand from the crown of her head down to the nape of her neck. “It’s not worth wondering those things,” he said in a low voice.

“I know,” said Rose. And she brought her lips to his, closing the distance between them until Rose was on top of him, pushing him down onto the bed.

And neither of them knew it then, but they would soon be joined by another member of their little family — one who would remind them so much of their lost friend that they would bestow Jay’s name upon him.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me at [ask-learningthetrees.tumblr.com](http://www.ask-learningthetrees.tumblr.com)!


End file.
